


(you will never) walk alone

by rhysymmetra



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Axton has PTSD (again), Dirty Talk, Explicit Sexual Content, Fingering, Fluff, I use the words "pussy" and "clit" to descibe Zane's genitals, M/M, Oral Sex, Public Masturbation, Public Sex, Resolved Sexual Tension, Smoking, Trans Man Axton, Trans Man Zane Flynt, Unresolved Sexual Tension, as a trans man i personally am ok with it but if you're not, might not wanna read this one bro, zane says the cunt word at one point
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 11:24:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20114326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhysymmetra/pseuds/rhysymmetra
Summary: Axton gets wounded during a mission and Zane takes it upon himself to patch the other man up. Sparks fly, banter occurs, and both of them mentally question their taste in men.





	1. Chapter 1

“Hold still.” 

The command almost sobered him, as he stilled almost instantly, face still twitching when the other man pressed down on his wound. Zane’s face was stony in concentration, with a hint of a deep emotion Axton didn’t have the mind to place. Zane kept his hand on Axton’s side, applying pressure to the wound so the younger man wouldn’t bleed out as he worked to remedy the situation. Lost in thought for a second or two, he finally fumbled through his pockets for a knife and raggedly cut off the bottom of his shirt. He then reached back for one of the bottles in the 6-packs they’d been drinking last night and brought it to his mouth, Axton squinting at him as he snapped the cap off with his teeth.

“Is now really the time, old man?” He grunted, beginning to shift in pain again as Zane pressed a little harder. “Shut yer mouth, boyo. I’m doin’ ye a favour.” Zane bundled up the cloth from the bottom of his shirt and set it on the floor, then poured a small amount of the beer onto the cloth. Axton furrowed his brow, craning his neck to see what was going on, but failing to see before Zane removed his hand and quickly replaced it with the soaked cloth. Axton let out a choked yell, clapping a hand over his mouth to muffle the rest of it. Zane applied a small amount of pressure with one hand and used the other to place on Axton’s chest, gently yet firmly pushing him back down onto the musty, bonfire-scented mattress beneath him. Axton screwed his eyes shut, his heart thudding under Zane’s palm. He’d hurt worse than this but off the top of his head it was hard to remember when and how. 

He focused on his breathing and dug his nails into the mattress until he was sure he’d torn it, and was rewarded by a hand gliding through his hair and a soft, gritty Irish voice saying “That’s it. There’s a good man.” Axton swallowed thickly, his eyes opening to see the man now straddling him, head tilted with a cheeky grin on his face. Zane quirked an eyebrow “Count yerself lucky, gettin’ a view like this and all.” Axton rolled his eyes and brought up a hand to flip Zane off. Zane laughed, a laugh he hadn’t quite heard before, his voice going higher as he brought his hand down to tap Axton’s cheek with his hand. “There ya are. Back to yer usual jackassery.” Axton couldn’t help but smile, quickly gritting his teeth instead when Zane peeled the cloth back a little to check on his wound. The man clicked his tongue. “It’s as good as it’s gonna get.” He pulled the cloth away, Axton making a strained noise at the sudden throbbing in his side. 

He heard a ripping noise and looked over to see Zane tearing off more of his shirt, his midriff now completely exposed on both sides. He was muscular; His abs were visible but not defined. Still, impressively lean and built for his age, his stomach littered with silver hair. He turned away to take a swig from the beer bottle he’d opened and Axton’s face lit up upon noticing a tattoo of a clover on Zane’s lower back. He stored that safely in his mind to use as ammunition when Zane was being particularly annoying. Not that he was ever not being particularly annoying.

The older man moved over and straddled Axton without warning, lifting the other man’s hips until they pressed against his own. Axton let out a small startled yelp and clung to the bed frame, eyebrows knitting together in annoyance as Zane just laughed. “At least buy me dinner first, paddy. I don’t put out on the first failed mission.” Zane scoffed almost fondly, wrapping the new cloth around Axton’s torso and tying it firmly before dropping his hips. “Not sure I’d call meself a ‘paddy.’ How ‘bout somethin’ similar?” He wiggled his eyebrows at Axton. Axton stared at him for a few seconds, his eyes narrowing slowly before-

“Oh, are you kiddin’ me, Zane? God damn it. That’s awful.” He growled out. Zane was in fits at his outburst, hands folded over his chest as he shook with laughter. Axton swiftly brought his knees up, bucking Zane onto the floor. The older man made a satisfying ‘oof’ sound, landing on his stomach and sending Axton into his own fit of laughter upon seeing the clover again. Zane huffed and picked himself up, dusting off his knees. “Somethin’ funny, boot boyo?” He asked, a hand on his hip. Axton collected himself and grinned up at Zane. “No, nothin’. Just didn’t think you were the type to get flower tattoos.”  
“A clover isn’t a flower, you mad cunt.” Zane shook his head with a smile. “‘Sides, you’ve got tramp stamp and all.” He prodded at the DAHL symbol on Axton’s upper left arm. Axton flinched away violently, the energy in the room changing so quickly Zane felt a little light headed. 

When he collected his head he looked over to see Axton frozen in place, sitting up on the bed leaning away from Zane and holding himself up with his hands. His face didn’t display the wide-eyed fear Zane had expected from his reaction. Merely a grimace, his eyes following Zane’s every movement. Alert. Wary. Zane frowned. “Sorry ‘bout that, bruv. Won’t touch it again. Forgot that’s a touchy subject.” he held his hands up and scooted back on the bed until he felt the cold metal of the bed frame against his lower back. Axton seemed to relax slightly, sitting up straight once again. “Appreciate it. And I’m sorry too, it just.. It all kinda comes rushin’ back to me when people..” He trailed off, furrowing his brow as if thinking about how to word what he wanted to say. Zane spoke again “Don’t be sorry, lad. We’ve all got our shit to wade through.”  
“It’s not just that.” Axton spoke lowly, quietly, as though confessing a sin. “I just feel alone, y’know? Like I’m the only one goin’ through this bullshit. The blank stares Maya and Sal give me when I try to vent, it just… It just hurts.” 

Zane nodded solemnly and allowed a beat of silence before responding. “I haven’t gone through exactly what you’re goin’ through. Dahl are a buncha bastards to have ye in this sorry state, I can tell ye that much. But runnin’ from yer past…” Zane paused and moved his hands down, hitching up what was left of his shirt to reveal two symmetrical scars underneath his pecs. “I’m an old hand at that.” He grinned. Axton glanced from Zane’s chest to his own chest, his own matching scars feeling suddenly exposed. A smile spread across his face, while Zane reached down and grabbed the half empty beer bottle plus an unopened one. He snapped the cap off with his teeth once again and held the bottle out to Axton. Axton took it and Zane immediately clinked their bottles together.

“Cheers!” Zane announced “To walkin’ a lonely road, but never walkin’ it alone!”


	2. Chapter 2

It had been two months since he’d last had a mission with Axton. In that time he’d barely stopped thinking about that night at the Happy Pig Motel. Patching Axton up, drinking like old friends, chests bare, falling asleep leaning against each other. He’d gotten up unreasonably early and left without a sound. He hadn’t been there when Axton woke up, and he’d spent the last two months regretting that decision wholeheartedly. Axton was a grown man and could take care of himself just fine, but that had been a nasty wound and everything Axton said that night seemed to imply he was looking for a little company. Zane let out a weary sigh and brought the beer bottle to his lips, taking the last swig while signalling the bartender for another bottle. Maybe if he got drunk enough he’d forget how good it felt to be so close to Axton, to hear the other man’s heartbeat and feel the man’s muscles shift below him.

The bartender absentmindedly slid another beer over the counter, looking at him expectantly. Zane snapped off the lid with his bare hand, not making eye contact “Put it on me tab, Gus.”  
“Don’t call me Gus.”  
“Righto. August.”  
“Don’t call me that either.”  
“So… Mammy’s boy?”  
The man behind the bar scowled at him and moved away to serve a tipsy woman with long blue hair. Zane shrugged and looked down at Fl4k’s pet skag as it bumped its big misshapen head against his leg. “He’s in a good mood.” He mumbled sarcastically at the creature, taking a long swig of his fresh beer. As he went to set it back on the bar, the skag bumped his leg again, this time more violently. Zane lost his grip on the bottle and sent it crashing to the ground, almost hitting the poor creature. It began screeching and hissing, running amok around the bar as Fl4k chased after it, calling out gently and trying to calm it down. Zane attempted to stifle his laughter, moving down onto the floor to pick up the shards of glass. 

A shadow fell over him and he looked up to see that August had come around from behind the bar. August glared down at him, shaking his head. “I don’t know why I don’t ban you damned vault hunters from ever settin’ foot in this place.”  
Zane got to his feet, undisturbed. “It’s because ye fancy me, ye big pansy. Now if yer done starin’ at my arse, I’d appreciate another beer.” He punctuated his last words with a pat to August’s shoulder. August stared at him.

He hit the ground outside the bar harder than usual, letting out a grunt before he began to laugh.  
“Don’t come back til you can pay your tab, you fuckin’ drunk!” August yelled out before slamming the door to the bar, leaving Zane flat on his back with Moze, Fl4k and Amara standing over him. Fl4k’s skag, who had calmed down by now, moved over to lick his face. Fl4k picked it up, almost defensive. Zane wiped his bloody nose, because of course August punched him full force before grabbing his jacket and throwing him out, and stood up. “Sorry ‘bout that.” he muttered. Moze was still glaring, and Amara simply rolled her eyes. Fl4k had no expression but they shook their head slowly. “Didn’t mean to be a dick.” he continued.  
“Geez, I hope I’m not around when you do mean to be a dick.” Moze shot back, stretching her arms until the bones cracked. Iron Bear stood directly outside of the bar where she’d left him while they went to get drinks, and she simply walked over and clambered inside. She gave his smooth metal a few pats before storming off inside her mech. Fl4k made an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture at Zane before running to catch up, skag following suit. Zane sighed, hunched over, and looked up at Amara. Amara stood, arms folded, looking him up and down. Finally she exhaled. “Grow up, Zane. And find a way to make it up to August and the others.” she patted his head almost condescendingly, especially considering their height difference. She jerked her head in the direction the others went “I think they went back to camp for the night. You coming?”  
“Ah… I’ll stick around here a while. Need to clear me head.” he was already pulling a cigarette out of his upper jacket pocket. Amara noticed and, although he knew she didn’t approve of his smoking habit, she simply nodded and turned to jog back to camp with the others.

She disappeared out of sight and Zane was alone outside a bar, nursing a nosebleed.

He closed his eyes for a long moment, soaking in the cool night air as his nose throbbed. There’d be bruising tomorrow, he could tell. At least August had held back a little, otherwise it’d definitely have been broken. Wanting to have a moment alone he wandered behind the bar, admiring the crude graffiti of Atlas’ new CEO with the words “DIE BOOT LIKKER” above it. He huffed in amusement.  
“Tell us how ye really feel.” he muttered to himself, lifting the cigarette to his lips and lighting it with his beloved lighter. The thing was black and scratched to hell and back, but he could still make out the rose emblem upon it with his name in the middle. It had been a gift from an old friend at his assassin school, they had given him it just after he came out with his new name. It never left his person since, and many a molotov cocktail had been lit by it.  
Smiling fondly, he took a drag of his cigarette and, for the first time in days, allowed himself to merely relax and zone out. However, these past few months zoning out wasn’t really zoning out. All he did was stare into space, hand on his chest, thinking of Axton. He hated it. Pining like a dog waiting for its owner to come home. It was pathetic. And there was no way Axton felt the same, no way in hell. He took a long and bitter drag, coughing out smoke as he inhaled too quickly. Shit. He couldn’t goddamn concentrate on missions anymore, couldn’t force himself to concentrate on anything but his ECHO on the off-chance that Axton felt the need to get in touch. 

But he hadn’t.

The guy probably flirted with everyone, had chemistry with everyone. He had charm, good looks, talent on the battlefield. It was like Dahl made him in a goddamn lab. Zane was just… Zane. He had holograms, and he had his team. Or maybe now he just had his holograms. He didn’t know. He took one more drag and dropped the rest of the cigarette on the ground, grinding it into the rock below with his boot as he huffed out smoke. He felt restless. He knew he should stop, should go back to camp, get some sleep, forget about Axton. Yet any time he switched his brain off like this it just flooded with images of that day at the Happy Pig Motel. Of Axton laying shirtless beneath him, the way his muscles flexed when he reached for a beer, the way his gaze seemed to linger on Zane for just a second too long when he’d pop a cap off with his teeth. He had no idea how they’d stayed an entire day and night together, both with hungry eyes and eager hands, and nothing had happened. He wished something had.

Fuck it.

Almost by itself, his hand drifted slowly down his chest, making him shudder slightly with anticipation. As that hand worked on undoing his belt and unzipping his pants, he brought his other hand up, impatiently taking three fingers into his mouth and massaging them with his tongue. He wanted to get them nice and wet, although with his eyes closed, he was getting lost in the fantasy of Axton fucking his throat with a strap-on. Finally his belt was undone and his fly was open, his hand massaging his hardened clit. He was making quiet breathy moans, partially muffled by the fingers in his mouth. He pressed himself harder against the wall, listening hard in case anyone was about to walk out of the bar. Although he was tucked away behind the building and wouldn’t be seen by anyone exiting through the front, he had to keep quiet or he’d definitely get caught. His hips twitched at the thought, as he let out a small whimper before taking the fingers out of his mouth.

He moved them down, stroking his hand slowly down his happy trail to tease himself, before finally beginning to rub his clit again. He let out a choked moan, quickly using his other hand to bring his shirt up to his mouth, biting down on the fabric so he could play with his nipples as he began massaging his clit faster. “Axton...” he moaned out before he could stop himself, freezing for a few seconds in case someone heard. When he only heard distant conversations and the thumping music from inside, he continued where he left off, pinching his nipples as the movement of his fingers began to produce a sinfully slick noise. He grunted, frustrated as the stimulation still wasn’t enough. He spread his legs wider and leaned fully against the wall, gently sliding a finger into his neglected pussy. He brought his hand up to his mouth swiftly, as a loud moan rattled through his throat. This wasn’t the first time he’d done this by far, but it had been a little while, and so he waited for a few seconds before adding a second finger. He began playing with his nipples again, tugging on them and whimpering as he adjusted to the slight stretch.

He waited a few more seconds before thrusting his fingers experimentally. “God, Axton…” he groaned out, beginning to thrust at a steady pace as his other hand explored his torso. He scratched himself lightly, a broken moan spilling out of his mouth as his fingers picked up speed. It still wasn’t quite enough. He had been fantasising about being fucked on Axton’s thick dildo, and he wanted to replicate that feeling as closely as possible. He paused to add another finger, whining at the pressure. He leaned his head back and panted, running a hand through his hair. He looked up at the sky and bit his lip, moaning as his hand twitched, sending a rush of sensation to his groin. “Axton… The things ye... hnn-! Do to me...” he breathed out, another moan turning into a whine as he began to thrust his fingers again. Yes, this was better. He picked up speed quickly, enjoying the slight discomfort. He imagined it was Axton, just as desperate and frustrated as he was, unable to wait for Zane to adjust before pinning him against a wall and just having his wicked way with the older man. He was sweating now, panting out hot air against the cool night as he fucked himself with his fingers behind a bar. The wet squelching sounds were loud to his own ears, but he could no longer bring himself to stop in case anyone heard him. He was just so damned close. If he had stopped at that moment, of course, he would have heard the unmistakable engine of a bandit technical pulling up to the bar. Would have heard the driver clamber out with a familiar grunt. Would have heard the footsteps get closer as the other man heard a vague wet sound and moans that he couldn’t categorise as pleasure or pain. 

As it was, he continued to violently fuck himself, whimpering out a breathy mantra of “Axton, Axton, Axton, Axton-”  
“Zane?”  
His eyes snapped open, greeted by Axton himself stood directly in front of him. He was frozen in place, hand stuffed down his pants, flushed and sweating, not to mention moaning out the other man’s feckin’ name.  
The two simply stared at each other, Zane already beating himself up. Great. He’d ruined it. He waited for Axton to yell at him, call him a creep, even hit him. It didn’t come. Instead, wordlessly, Axton sank to his knees.

He ran a hand up Zane’s left leg, stopping at his groin, hand over Zane’s occupied hand. He looked up at Zane and cocked his head. “This is your chance.” He smirked, licking his lips. “You want a taste of the real thing, Zane?”  
Zane flushed brighter and simply nodded, voice too strung out on desperate moans to be trusted. Axton huffed out a small laugh and gently pulled Zane’s hand away, stopping to taste his fingers with a deep and appreciative moan. “You taste so good, baby. Fuck.” he gritted out, gently spreading Zane’s legs wider and pulling his pants down to his ankles. He made eye contact with Zane as he moved forward, Zane letting out a choked whine as Axton’s tongue made contact with his throbbing pussy. On instinct he reached down and grabbed a fistful of Axton’s hair, Axton’s low growl of encouragement sending almost unbearable vibrations through his core.

“Not gonna last, Axton.” He gasped out, unable to take his eyes off of the man kneeling in front of him. Axton moved away for a second and began to suck a few of his own fingers into his mouth. “Guess I have to make it count then, huh?” he spoke in between swirling his tongue around his fingers. Zane twitched, making a mental note of just how good Axton seemed to look when his mouth was occupied with something other than brutish sarcasm for once. Axton, seeming to read his mind, simply grinned and quirked an eyebrow up at him before settling down in between his legs again. He began to lick slow, deliberate patterns around and against Zane’s throbbing clit, lulling Zane into a state of bliss before adding a finger. Zane keened, twisting his hips in an attempt to adjust. They both swore at the same time. “Fuck, you’re tight.” Axton breathed.  
“Yer fingers are.. ahn-! th-thicker than mine…” Zane responded. Axton simply went back to licking those patterns, thrusting a few times to make Zane cry out before adding another finger. Zane’s eyes rolled back into his head as he rolled his hips down, Axton having to grip his hip with the other hand to keep him steady. Seemingly losing patience just as Zane was, Axton began to fuck his fingers in and out of Zane, Zane squirming and moaning his name loudly. Axton pressed his tongue down harder, spelling out his beloved military code in a trick he’d taught himself that had never failed to drive his partners wild. He watched heatedly as Zane completely lost his composure, and by the time Axton had gotten to “W-H-I-S-K-E-Y F-O-X”, Zane was moaning so loud the entire bar probably heard it. He thrashed around and rolled his hips once, twice, then Axton felt his pussy constrict as a new flood of wetness coated his fingers. 

Zane clapped a hand over his mouth, moaning low and muffled as Axton gently slid his fingers out, bringing them to his own mouth. He sucked appreciatively, making a few small grunting noises as he did, before pulling them out with a pop. Zane stayed pressed against the wall, catching his breath before reaching down to zip up his pants and do his belt. Axton got to his feet, wincing as his legs made a few unsavory cracking noises. He’d be sore tomorrow from kneeling on hard rock, but it was well worth it. He smiled at the other man, and as Zane clicked his belt back into place he took the opportunity to surge forward and kiss him. Zane made a surprised “Mm!” sound and clutched at his shoulders, before relaxing and deepening the kiss. Zane was the first to pull away after a minute, looking into Axton’s eyes with a blissed out look on his face.

“Feckin’ nasty bugger. I know where yer mouth’s been.” He slurred.  
Axton dipped his head and smiled. “You didn’t seem to have a problem with it a second ago, darlin’.” he shot back. Zane rolled his eyes and grabbed Axton’s dog tags, surprising the man right back by pulling him into another kiss. Zane didn’t know how long they stood there, kissing passionately against the vandalised back wall of the bar. Could have been seconds, minutes, hours. It didn’t matter. In that moment nothing mattered but Axton’s lips on his own and Axton’s hands firmly holding his hips, grinding gently as if they had all the time in the world. Axton pulled away this time, meeting Zane’s eyes with a cocky smile.

“Wanna come back to my place? I ain’t done with you yet.”

A nod was the answer.

**Author's Note:**

> Feels important to point out that the title and last sentence were influenced by the song Walk Alone by Rudimental! haha ok thank you for reading <3


End file.
